Future Prospects

[Heartland Balladeer]

Is there alot of call for steel players out there?
I know when I was looking around for my band that they (now We) are very few and far between, even finding a novice to get involved was difficult.

I suppose what i am getting at is when i have a few moves under my belt am i going to find it difficult to get into band situations or are there bands crying out for even mediocre steelies?

[Tony Russell Davis]

s or are there bands crying out for even mediocre steelies?

'Fraid so Here's a story.
After being in a rock 'n roll band, then a folk musician/singer for 10 years, circa 1980 I landed a job in a country band on lead guitar . The learning curve was not too steep but I heard a lot more steel guitar than ever before. Years earlier, I had played about with a nut raiser on an old acoustic but now, saw pictures and an advert in a Country Music People magazine. So I went to Denmark Street and bought an S10, 4+6 Driftwood from the ShoBud shop. I carted it back to Tyneside and started "learning" with the (tremendous) Winnie Winston . Within four months that thing was on stage with us for a few songs in each set. That's when I realised that if you can play three chords (the right ones, of course) and can do the "no-pedals chord, slide up seven frets and stomp on A+B" thing for a finishing tag you've got it made. That's how discriminating the workies-club audiences were then (maybe still). I was better than that though, I COULD DO A TRAIN WHISTLE NOISE too! That's when they really knew I was good!
I was, of course, awful by proper steel players standards, but getting up under the lights taught me more in my first year, about performing and keeping the punters happy, than all the books in the world.
So - find, or form, a band as soon as you can play a bit and that's when you'll really start to learn

[Heartland Balladeer]

Tony, thanks for the insite and story,
I have also found with the Dobro that unless i am playing in a place where the audience is familiar with blue grass People are often "wowed" Not neccessarily by the playing of it just in that it is unussual to them.
I have on a couple of occasions had people telling me that im playing my guitar the wrong way up though, and offering advise that I should be using a finger slide "thats why you are not getting the Mark Knopfler sound"
I guess it the same with the pedal steel.

I play in a couple of bands one of which i could probably get the steel out on stage for a song or two but it not the ideal setting really.
the style of music I am wanting to play i dont think is to demanding Steel wize just more acompanyment with a bit of lead hear and there.
Like you say there is no better way of learning than to play with others. so hopefully i can find a some folks looking for some simple steel work to fill em out a bit and go from there.

If anyone knows anyone that will put up with a Learner that wont get in the way please let me know.